Experimental Design of Solar DC Microgrid for the Rural Electrification of Africa

DC microgrids are a promising and cost-effective solution for the rural electrification of Africa or South-East Asia. However, microgrids mainly rely on power electronic converters and those converters must offer, in addition to their normal usage, protection and start-up services as well as low voltage ripple. This must be considered when designing converters for such particular applications. Moreover, field deployment of DC microgrids in rural places is often expensive and logistically difficult. Hence, it is necessary to develop a test bench to test and thoroughly validate the proper operation of a microgrid before its deployment. This paper presents the experimental design needed, from the converter to the test bench, to develop and deploy solar DC microgrids with decentralized production and storage for the rural electrification of Africa.